WHEREAS, foster care is intended to be a temporary intervention for children who need the safety and security of an out-of-home placement; and

WHEREAS, 2,531 children under the age of 18 entered foster care in Virginia in 2024; and

WHEREAS, many families receiving foster care services are faced with challenges in overcoming trauma and meeting day-to-day needs; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Children’s Services Practice Model states: all children and youth deserve to be safe; children do best when raised in families; and all children and youth deserve and need a permanent family; and

WHEREAS, there were 665 children and youth in foster care in Virginia who were successfully reunified with their families from whom they were removed in 2024; and

WHEREAS, for most children in foster care, reunification with their family is their best option for a permanent and loving home; and

WHEREAS, all children need the care, love, security, and stability of family unity, including parents, siblings, grandparents, and other extended family members, to provide a solid foundation for personal growth, development, and maturity; and

WHEREAS, at the end of 2024, nearly 39% of children in foster care came into care at least in part because their parents or caregivers were struggling with substance use; and

WHEREAS, the Right Help, Right Now initiative launched by Governor Youngkin in 2022 ensures Virginians, including caregivers, receive immediate behavioral health support before, during, and after crisis, and that parents struggling with substance use disorder can now access treatment more easily and be better equipped to be a stable parent for their children; and

WHEREAS, Governor Youngkin introduced the Safe Kids, Strong Families initiative to unite and advance child welfare reforms across Virginia to prioritize family stability, reduce reliance on congregate care, and strengthen services that support our most vulnerable children; and

WHEREAS, when reunification with birth and kinship families happens for a child in foster care, it is an opportunity for the community to engage in wrap-around support so that the reunification is sustainable; and

WHEREAS, reunification takes work, commitment, and investment of time and resources by parents, family members, family service specialists, foster and kinship parents, service providers, attorneys, courts, and the community; and

WHEREAS, the accomplishments of families who overcome an array of challenges to reunify safely and successfully should be supported and celebrated;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize June 2025, as FAMILY REUNIFICATION MONTH in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all of our citizens.